On Thursday, May, 25th, 2006, we were meeting with our Small Group. We usually meet every-other Thursday. Theresa and I were still kind of new to this group as they had been together for a few years and we just joined them a few weeks earlier. We received a call that literally changed our lives—and made us appreciate not only our Small Group, but the Horizons Church body as a whole.
Our neighbor had driven our youngest daughter, Kasey, to EQ (horse riding) training along with her daughter earlier that night. There was an unfortunate accident and Kasey passed-out and fell from a stationary ATV and landed directly on her head. When the owner got off the ATV and went to her, she wasn’t breathing and he had to perform CPR to save her life.
Our neighbor tried calling us, but we didn’t hear the phone at first--when we tried to call back, she couldn’t get our call because it had been pouring rain and her phone was soaked. When she had Kasey in the ambulance, one of the EMT’s let her use their phone. She just basically told us there was an accident and Kasey was being rushed to Mercy hospital.
We immediately left and asked everyone to pray, although we knew very little, it didn’t sound good. When we got to the hospital they wouldn’t let us see Kasey right away, they were doing a CT among other things. They thought they would need to air-lift her to Children’s Hospital, but the weather wouldn’t allow an airlift that evening any time soon.
The waiting in the small room next to the emergency ward was unbearable. Unbeknown to me, our entire Small Group and several of the guys from the Hunting & Fishing Ministry had gathered in an outer waiting room. Finally a doctor came in to talk to us. He had just looked at the CT and said there was brain damage and they needed to rush Kasey to HCMC because they are a level one head trauma center.
Our hearts sunk.
He said we could go back and see her then. Theresa is a nurse and has amazing composure during times of crisis. Me, I turn into a puddle. Once I rounded the corner and saw Kasey laying there motionless and muddy, still laying on the emergency board they strapped her to, well, I lost it. Her head was swollen and Theresa knew we didn’t get the whole story from the doctor who talked to us earlier. It turns out her skull was fractured.
The weather still didn’t permit an airlift to happen, but they had to get Kasey to HCMC as soon as possible. Compounding the problem, because of the storm that night, all the local ambulances were busy due to a high amount of car accidents. They finally tracked down a Health East ambulance from the other side of St Paul. Theresa was able to convince the two, very young ambulance EMT’s that she should ride with them to HCMC. Which turned out to be fortuitous since these guys didn’t even know how to get to HCMC.
I left the emergency room and was heading through the lobby to get in my car to pick up our older daughter and go to HCMC. I was surprised to see all the people from the Small Group and Hunting & Fishing Ministry out in the main lobby. After many tearful hugs, I got in the car and eventually made our way to the hospital
Kasey ended up having brain surgery that night at midnight. They removed two large pieces of her skull so the pressure and swelling wouldn’t crush her brain stem. Then they also inserted probes down the middle of her brain that monitored the temperature and oxygen levels of her brain. There was also a tube that was meant to drain the fluid that was creating the pressure in her head.
The neurosurgeon came to our waiting room after four hours of surgery and said three times during our conversation that Kasey may not live. I don’t remember anything else he said after the first time I heard him tell us that.
Eventually they moved Kasey to the Pediatric ICU, which was to become our home away from home for the next month. My oldest daughter, Teddi was set to graduate in a week, and her graduation party was two weeks away. My son, Tyler was a year behind her, and we had to figure out how to not ignore them while we had to be at the hospital.
The next few weeks were intense and stressful, had it not been the support and prayers of our Small Group and the church body of Horizons, well, I hate to think where we’d be. Between our neighbor, who got us to go to Horizons in the first place, and our Small Group they totally handled my daughter Teddi’s graduation party. Totally. People came and cleaned up the house, the yard, everywhere.
We were in the tail end of some remodeling and I hadn’t quite finished a three-season porch I had gutted. Some men from the small group—and our old small group--as well as some of the guys from the Hunt & Fish Ministry came and finished the work for me.
We were told to come to the graduation party at a certain time and not to worry. Honest-to-God they did a better job with the whole day and party than we could have if we had tried our hardest. I remember when we showed up at our house around 11:30 for the noon party, I saw a fellow from the first Small Group we were a part of. He waved as he brought bags of ice to the backyard on a two-wheeler—then I never saw him—that was his “chore.” The food was handled by many people each bringing something.
I was unaware the smoked turkey and barbeque beef had run out at one point, our neighbors husband who is a dear friend of mine and was with me the night I gave my life to Christ, well, he just went to Costco and bought several huge trays of deli meat. Didn’t say a word about it and wouldn’t take a penny.
As we were about to leave to go back to the hospital, (this was the first time we had been away from Kasey together), I saw a couple I never met—nor I have I seen them since. They came in the door and introduced themselves as the cleaning crew.
While we were at the party people volunteered to sit with Kasey in stages, so each person or couple took an hour, or an hour-and-a-half and were there to calm her and let her know we would be coming right back. Kasey was awake, mostly, but she was very disoriented and would get easily upset if Theresa or myself wasn’t close by. I think most of that time she was just plain scared. Come to think of it, so was I.
Nearly every part of the day someone from Horizon’s was there to sit with us, to pray with us, or to just sit with Kasey while Theresa and I got something to eat. I have amazingly special memories of people coming with coffee in the morning, or take-out food later in the day. Cookies and snacks appeared constantly. Gas cards and other gift cards came so Teddi and Tyler could still get around and eat while we were at the hospital a vast majority of the time.
I would put an entry on our CaringBridge site sometimes when things looked a little bleak—Kasey’s brain or body temp would spike, or a certain medicine that worked earlier wasn’t working and she would throw-up or be in pain. People must have broken laws on our behalf to get to the hospital as soon as they did.
There are just times where the whole process just plain wears you out, but Theresa and I would look at each other and know that we were covered in prayer. We could feel it. It lifted us up in some very dark moments. We know and believe this with out a doubt.
I remember when my friends or relatives went through tough times and I would tell them—“if you need anything, just let me know.” I never, or rarely was taken up on that offer when I gave it. I would have done almost anything for friends that were hurting. If you pushed me, I couldn’t tell you what I’d do, but I just knew I wanted to help in anyway possible.
I was never good at asking for favors. I was never good when people did unexpectedly nice things for me.
I’m different now. I have experienced what happens first-hand when the body of Christ comes together and acts out what it tells us in the Bible. To be selfless. To be humble. To help others and use your talents that God has given you for their benefit. To give freely of your time and money, and not expect anything in return. We were a part of a miracle and our Small Group was smack in the center of that.
